Filming has begun on “La sombra de la tierra,” a dark, somber, and gritty rural drama based on the novel of the same name by actress Elvira Mínguez, who is also stepping behind the camera for the first time as the project’s director.

“The Shadow of the Earth” tells the story of a confrontation between two women marked by hatred and evokes some of the great classics of our literature. It authentically portrays the development of highly unyielding and violent characters, painting a striking picture of a society mired in misery.

Adelfa Calvo (Garibalda) and María Morales (Atilana) are the series’ main characters. Garibalda is a sick woman who rules the townspeople with an iron fist. Ever since childhood, she has hated Atilana, whom she blames for all her misfortunes. She uses the position of power she inherited from her husband to abuse everyone around her. Atilana is a middle-aged widow who struggles to keep afloat a farm that was once prosperous. Her family was one of the few well-to-do families in the village until her husband lost everything by getting involved in shady business deals.

Carmelo Gómez rounds out the cast of the series alongside Marcos Ruiz, Ginés García Millán, George Steane, Quique Niza, Amaia Sagasti, María García-Concha, Aina Picarolo, Camila Viyuela, Richard Holmes, Tusti de las Heras, and Izan Corchero, among others.

“La sombra de la tierra,” an original series from Atresplayer, consists of four 50-minute episodes. It is produced by Atresmedia TV in collaboration with Fonte Films. Montse García, Pablo Isla, and Carla Pérez de Albéniz are the series’ executive producers, while Lucía Alonso-Allende serves as executive co-producer. Elvira Mínguez is the director and screenwriter of the series, and Jorge Blas is the script analyst.

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This Is 'The Shadow of the Earth'

The year is 1896, and we are in Villaveza del Agua, a small village in the province of Zamora, where hunger and poverty are the daily reality for its inhabitants.

Garibalda is a sick widow who rules the town with an iron fist, imposing taxes that have reduced the entire population to poverty. Atilana is her rival; she aspires to seize that power, and the two have been competing against each other for years.

The main victims of this conflict are their own children, who are forced to endure constant physical and psychological abuse. Misfortune and hatred plague both sides, and the thirst for revenge keeps a small community on edge, unsure which side to join in order to improve their chances of survival

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